


Anywhere But Here

by SeleneMoonstar



Category: Banjo-Kazooie Series, Kung Fu Panda - All Media Types, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: All In Zootopia, Bazooie, F/M, Fluff, Multi, magic snow, tipo, wildehopps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 14:56:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9077560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeleneMoonstar/pseuds/SeleneMoonstar
Summary: Banjo is about to go on his first date ever to a place where anyone can be anything, on the notion of Bottles' intuition about a complete stranger. What he doesn't know is that there's already someone else who loves him, and she's willing to go to Zootopia to stop him. A Bazooie (BanjoxKazooie) story, with a little TiPo (PoxTigress) and WildeHopps (NickxJudy). Rated K for fluff.





	1. Departure

This wasn't the first time that Banjo was so nervous.

Then again, this was the first time that he was so nervous about this particular situation.

She had been standing there for a while, but Kazooie knew that Banjo had been standing in front of the mirror far longer than she had seen him do so. The breegull couldn't wrap her mind around it, but Banjo had a look in his eyes as if he was trying to talk himself into a specific mental status, while checking to see if there was anything remotely imperfect about his appearance. If she were in his shoes, or paws, perhaps she would have been nervous to some degree or another. After all, this was the first time that this ever happened to him.

That's right - Banjo, the Honey Bear, was about to go on his first date - ever.

The whole situation was at the fault of Bottles, whom had went with his family sometime ago to a place recommended by other relatives to be a great spot for a vacation. It was during their time there that a friend of the family had been introduced to them. Being so conveniently a honey bear herself, and by very nature good-hearted, Bottles was dead-set convinced that he had found a highly potential mate for the more well-known hero of Spiral Mountain. Yes, this also meant that Banjo was not even acquainted with the lady in question, and thus his first date was also going to be his first blind date.

Kazooie wasn't even sure anymore what pissed her off more - the fact that Banjo never met her or the fact he even agreed to do this. Nonetheless, her thoughts were shut down, though indirectly because everyone was so happy for Banjo. The breegull wanted to ever so badly speak her mind to her best friend that was now bundled in his own wrecking nerves. However, she would only admit to herself that her beak remained shut because of the obvious excitement that was rooted in what he was about to undergo.

"I can't believe it," Banjo finally said when the sparks of contentment began to sparkle in his eyes, "My first date... my first date!"

"Yeah, I know," Kazooie replied, holding back as much of her sarcasm as she could from going into her voice.

He didn't hear the sarcasm though, which was odd of Banjo due to his good sense of hearing. It was this same bear that was rubbing his face, almost as if there was some keen belief that his nerves had made it there too. It was this gesture that actually made Kazooie worry a little, stepping into the bathroom herself and making her best friend face her with her impressively strong wings.

"Hey!" Kazooie snapped, though her concern clearly written into her tone, "Calm down, it's just a date."

"Do you think she'll like me?"

"Banjo," the breegull replied sharply, "Who wouldn't?"

Kazooie caught on to her words, and started to flush a little bit, but held her composure for the sake of her friend, who's eyes were now looking directly into her own. Swallowing a bit of her thoughts to the back of her mind, she flashed a cocky smile at him as she straightened his back and used her wings to brush the top half of his black tuxedo of any wrinkles that might have formed.

"Besides," she said with relief to the confidence that was in it, "You look great - you really do. I haven't seen you wear a tuxedo since our last battle with the witch-butt."

"Thanks," Banjo remarked, looking away from Kazooie, which she didn't notice because she was too concerned about the wrinkles, "Do first dates always make people so nervous?"

"I don't know," Kazooie replied, "I've never been on a date."

"Do you want to find someone?"

It was with that question that Banjo looked back at Kazooie, only to find the breegull looking back at him after the question was put on the table. She stopped checking for wrinkles, her wings so conveniently on his chest, which neither really noticed. No - they were both too busy looking into each other's eyes in the deep silence. Banjo was trying to see what Kazooie was looking for while the breegull was trying to find any potential doubt in the deepest parts of the bear's light blue eyes.

"No," Kazooie finally answered, smiling a little, "Everything I ever want is right here."

As the last of her remarks rolled off her tongue, she let her wings fall off from his chest, the bear observing Kazooie intently, trying to figure out if the sadness that was in her eyes was real or something his mind was unreasonably conjuring up. Kazooie had helped him through all of this, and guessed that it might have been because she was tired. However, something seemed amiss about that conclusion, but couldn't bring himself to ask her about it because of the date he was about to go on.

"And if I did want something else, I'll go get myself," Kazooie remarked, "But you know me better than anyone else."

"Of course I do, Kazooie," Banjo said, returning the smile, catching on the corner of his eye his sister coming to the bathroom, "Oh! Tooty! Sorry, did you need to use the restroom?"

"I was waiting for you," Tooty remarked.

"Oh, yes, of course," Banjo said with a hint of realization, both he and his friend aware of what the younger bear was talking about as Kazooie got out of Banjo's way, and only after the fact did he turn to look at Kazooie, "Did you want to come?"

"To Zootopia? No thanks."

"I meant to the station with me and Bottles," Banjo corrected with a smile.

"Nah, I'll pass," Kazooie said, waving one of her wings in emphasis, "You go have fun, and we can catch up later. Besides, who's going to look after Tooty?"

"But I wanted to go too," the younger bear whined, even pouting some.

"Sorry, but this is grown-up business," Kazooie remarked, patting her head before following Banjo to the door, "Well, Banjo-business to be more specific."

Much to be expected, Tooty wasn't happy with Kazooie's response, much less Banjo's agreement with it. Then again, who wouldn't want to go to such a huge city with such a name like Zootopia? If that place really was the place where 'anyone can be anything', then surely it must be quite the sight to see. Perhaps after Banjo's return, she could convince the duo to take her there soon.

However, there was something far more important on her mind, yet said nothing about it as she watched the bear and the bird look at one another in the eyes all over again.

"Kazooie," Banjo said as he did so, the concern clear in his voice, "I-"

It was when he looked at her that something locked up in his body, and now being outside of the house, something felt completely amiss. There was also a feeling like disappointment in his chest, almost like the feeling a husband would get when he didn't get a chance to kiss his loving wife goodbye. Then again, the reality of the matter was that Banjo was single - he had always been - so there was no way he would be able to understand that feeling. Why, then, did something feel wrong now to leave and engage in time with someone he had not even met yet?

That was it, he didn't know yet, and all of this was new to him, so he pushed down his thoughts and feelings and hid his discomfort with a smile.

"...Will you and Tooty be okay?"

"I'll find something to do," Kazooie replied, "Don't worry about us, and go have fun."

He nodded, swallowing a little, yet still retaining his smile.

"Okay... Tooty, be good, okay? And please be in bed before I get home."

Tooty nodded, giving her brother a similar smile like one he gave to Kazooie, except she went over to her brother to hug him, the breegull watching from the door. It was in that hug that Banjo looked at Kazooie again, in which the bird gave him a smile, whether it be reassurance or the fact she found it warming to see such affection of siblings. The bear didn't give himself the pleasure of looking at her for a long time, for Tooty began to release her hold on him and thus bringing his attention to her.

Without too much other than a peaceful "farewell", Banjo and Bottles bid them goodbye as they started to make their merry way further and further away from the two females at the door, Tooty waving at them until they could no longer be seen, which was ironically not very long on the account of the vehicles that still lingered from their previous adventure.

No one really knew at the time, but the fact was that Banjo and Kazooie couldn't stop looking at each other, at least until they could no longer physically see each other. It wasn't until Banjo was out of sight that Tooty stopped waving and gave a curious glance over at the breegull, who's feelings were showing more on her face than she thought, and thus compelled the younger bear to say something.

"Kazooie?"

"What's up?"

"...Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Kazooie, you know that I know what you're really thinking..."

"Don't push your luck, Tooty, you knew that I couldn't stop him."

"Yes you could have - what I'm wondering is why you didn't."

"Toot, you saw him - he really wants to do this."

"But you didn't."

"That's not a good excuse to stop your best friend's first date."

"But there's another reason that is."

"And what's that?"

"...The excuse that you really wanted to be in that girl's shoes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome to another completed fiction done by yours truly.
> 
> If my memory serves me correctly, this would be my third crossover. I remember doing a Rise of the Guardians and Frozen crossover and one Sonic crossover with different universes. However, given the circumstances, wouldn't it be more safe to say that this is more like a tri-over than just a regular crossover? I speak in that sense because there are three universes involved instead of the usual two: Banjo-Kazooie, Zootopia, and Kung Fu Panda. Sure, I sincerely doubt a lot of Kung Fu Panda is going to be mentioned, since I wrote out this comment when I just started the first chapter, but they are still going to be mentioned anyway.
> 
> So why these three universes? It just came to me one day while I was working, and those who write fanfictions are probably aware of how potentially good ideas occur during the worst of circumstances. Thus, it remained in the back of my mind not only until I could get it down, but get the idea down completed.
> 
> Also, now that I really think about it, Bazooie (BanjoxKazooie) and TiPo (PoxTigress) are the only other two humanoid animal pairings that I support other than WildeHopps (Nick Wilde x Judy Hopps) - though technically Kazooie isn't really humanoid in any way except by language. This particular thought made swallowing the idea bearable, and perhaps rather cool in its own manner. I didn't add Sepper (Sunil Nelva x Pepper Clark) on purpose: I didn't want to alter the characters too much, and thus ruin the authentic-ness of this fiction, if such a thing is possible. I also thought that Zootopia was the best place for all of these supported pairings to come together, so yeah.
> 
> The title comes from a song, also titled Anywhere But Here, that I heard sung by SafetySuit, which I remember being introduced to when I saw a video on YouTube using the same song - specifically (in sweet irony) with another crossover pairing: Jim Hawkins and Anastasia Tremaine. I know the name looks weird, but if you look them up, it's written like that. Heck, I wasn't even going to originally call the fiction by that song name, but I suppose what lead me to do it was the fact that I had no other ideas at the time.
> 
> Anyway, I sincerely doubt that this fiction is going to be long, and that's actually what I'm afraid of. I don't like it when my ideas are so short, like how most of my other Banjo-Kazooie fictions have been. However, regardless of their length, I do hope you enjoy your stay and reading this fiction.
> 
> But I think you're done reading my rants on the whats and whys, right? I thought so: on to the next chapter.


	2. Acquaintance

He couldn't help but be ashamed of himself when Bottles had to snap him out of his daze when they actually got to the station.

Just what the heck was wrong with him?

About an hour ago, he had been excited about his blind date, but now that he was far more conscious of being away from Kazooie, something just seemed wrong. Now that he was out of the stupor and on the train to Zootopia, he began to reason with the reflection in the glass that the sudden change of pace was making him feel this way. He didn't need to worry about Kazooie because she was perfectly capable of handling herself and his younger sister. The thought of any potential desire for intimacy with the bird didn't seem quite right to him, and purely on the fact that he was on a ride to see another woman. If it had not been for the circumstances, he would have asked Kazooie to come with him altogether, but there was no way that he was going to allow Kazooie to be a third wheel - it would go against their friendship, and Kazooie's desire for her best friend's full attention.

Ironically, he was doing just that by leaving her behind. If this had been another night, the clear skies would have been perfect for star-gazing, and the breegull would have had all the attention he could give her. Since the thought occurred to him, he even began to look out the window himself, though already doing so by staring at his reflection. Turning his eyes more towards the sky, he was disappointed to find that the closer they came to the city, the harder it was to see the beautiful sky that he had so become accustom to.

Then again, if all of this worked out, the scenery wasn't going to the be only thing in his life that would change. It was this very thought that lead him to contemplate if whether or not he wanted anything to change in the first place. Just because this was going to be his first date, that didn't mean that he was oblivious to everything that could happen during one, and his knowledge thereof was because of Tooty, whom had occasionally talked his ears off about the matter. Perhaps it was for this very reason that he was grateful that they were. After all, if there was anything that he was relieved to know, it was the fact what dates actually meant - it was to determine someone's compatibility with someone of the opposite sex to see how well they would work as mates.

There was something else that he knew too, and that was the obvious protest from Kazooie's eyes that he was going to do this in the first place. Sure, she didn't exactly say it, but enough sarcastic remarks and looks told the bear everything he needed to know, and that was that Kazooie was completely against this. He understood the bird's frustration - in fact, under normal circumstances, Banjo would have thought it was weird to go to such a strange new place to meet a perfect stranger, despite the comfort of having someone he knew to accompany him. However, he also trusted Bottle's intuition about things, as he had none of his own on this subject, and believed his words when the mole strongly insisted that the girl he was about to meet will not be a disappointment.

Banjo could not prove, nor disprove, Bottles intuition at the moment - it was the prime reason that he was willing to give this stranger a chance. Who knows, maybe he'll even come to like her, and he might finally have someone to settle down with in Spiral Mountain. That, or perhaps remain in Zootopia, whichever his preferences turn out to be if the time ever comes.

That is, if the time will ever come at all.

Since the topic came to his mind, he began to wonder something else as well, such as whether or not Kazooie would approve of having another individual in the house. The bird was rather possessive, especially towards things and individuals that meant an awful lot to her. He concluded that he wouldn't have to worry about Tooty's approval, as she was open to most people like he was. However, Kazooie was not like that, but she did have her reasons, and there were situations where he was grateful for that.

However, this time, he couldn't get Kazooie's approval on who he was dating. It was cruel thinking about it that way, but the fact was that it wasn't Kazooie's place to give her approval or disapproval, unless of course he would ask her about it. He could only hope that if he and this stranger got past tonight together, the bird would come to like her, just like how Banjo started to get a warm feeling about the city when he first laid eyes on it.

Bottles had taken the liberty of explaining to him some of the basic in and outs of the location that was so heavily populated, but as the train started to come into the city, he admitted that he was caught in a different trance altogether - one of the kind of awes that came from being in complete wonder. The mole had told him that it was huge, but even when the train made its way into the city, Banjo was certain that he didn't have a complete grasp of just how large it was. Perhaps if Kazooie was with him, they could have flown into the sky and see the brilliantly lit city from the top.

That is, if Kazooie had come at all, but she wasn't here, and he would have to satisfy that genuine curiosity for another time.

So lost was the bear in his awe of the city, that he had almost forgotten to get off altogether. If it had not been for Bottles, his attentive escort, he would have been too lost in his own thoughts and shock to have continued why exactly he was there to begin with. Blushing in embarrassment towards the mole, Banjo was able to proceed to get off of the train with him, along with hundreds of other animals. There were some that reminded him of his friends, but others were of the like that he had never seen before - some rather remarkable, whiles others just plainly unusual.

He never thought that there was such a place full of so many wonders and so many mammals. Banjo was ashamed when he began to fancy the idea even more of having Kazooie with him. It was the realization that he was constantly thinking about her that made him shut his thoughts into the back of his mind. He will have to insist Kazooie to join him later, but for now, he was in the place were anyone can be anything and he had made up his mind that he was going to meet the girl who went through so much trouble of meeting him.

Being lead by Bottles, the bear began to make his way through the entrance of the train station, occasionally looking around at the wonders around him, such as a juice joint that had acacia juice for giraffes - even a system that shot their drinks to their ecstatic heights. Even over on his right, there was an entire system specifically for hamsters and the smaller folk, proving to Banjo that he was not the smallest mammal here in a place with animals so tall as the giraffe and ones so mighty like the lion that he had seen just a few minutes ago.

Seeing everything around him so different made him beyond surprised, but at the same time, it made him long for something familiar, like the missing back pack he had grown so accustom to wearing, and the bird that normally took her place inside of it.

This time he shut his eyes tightly for a second - stop thinking about Kazooie - you have a date to get to. He blamed his surroundings for wanting something familiar... well... someone familiar. Remembering that he had Bottles with him, he opened up his eyes and tried to be content with that. Lucky for the mole, he wanted to get the bear's attention anyway, and turned to look at him as they left the train station area, and into their first corner of town.

"Well, we're here," the mole said, earning the bear's full attention.

"But where is she?" Banjo asked, puzzled and looking around, "I don't see..."

He had to stop himself from asking his question, for within about a bow-shot away, there was another mole that looked a lot like Bottles, yet that didn't matter because the bear remembered seeing him before. It was on previous information at a family reunion that Banjo knew that this was Bottle's distant relative. However, that mole was at the corner of his eye - who the bear was actually looking at was a stunning bear beyond the likes he could have imagined seeing in his life. Brown in fur, like himself, curly locks of pure ebony formed around her face, going a little past her shoulders, with a red rose (be it real or fake) pinned neatly into her hair. A red dress that was as far as her knees clad her body spectacularly well, making her natural curves that much noticeable. Like him, her eyes (the color of emeralds) were returning the gaze, making Banjo almost not notice how hard he was blushing, or how close she was to him when they came within earshot to meet.

Only the voice of Bottle's distant relative shook him out of his stupor.

"Hello Bottles, Banjo," he said, "Welcome to Zootopia. May I present a good friend of the family?"

"Y-Yes, of course," Banjo stammered, holding out his paw to bid her welcome, "I'm Banjo."

A gentle smile formed on the female bear's face, extending her own paw into his own, clasping her fingers around his paw in order to do a proper, and firm shake.

"Pleased to meet you," she said in a sweet voice like honey, "My name is Hannah."

Banjo couldn't help himself but smile.

There was something about her hand shake that made him feel better about the whole idea of a blind date.

He had a good feeling about this.

Indeed, he had a really good feeling about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there go introductions... at one-thousand, seven-hundred, and ninety-nine words. Honestly, what's wrong with me today? I'm much better at getting this word count thing. Oh well, the idea seems to do well within itself. It is a phase chapter after all - just to get the necessary greetings out of the way.
> 
> Now, I do have a confession to make. In a way, Hannah isn't one-hundred percent original. I got the idea of what the female bear was going to look like from an OC I kept running across when I tried to find fanfiction on Bazzoie (BanjoxKazooie). After finally looking into it, I found out that the name of the OC is Grace, made by Fantasyofthedark94 on DeviantArt. There isn't much on her in regards to background story - only that she falls in love with Banjo, Banjo likes her back, and they eventually have two kids (Elsa and Bobby). She also has this 'annoying' lizard pet, but not really much of anything on him either. I think Kazooie gets someone too, but I didn't care enough to look into see whether or not the artist did artwork on Kazooie's love interest.
> 
> Since I didn't care too much about the OC, while at the same time not wanting to wait to get permission from the artist to use her, I decided that I was going to make another OC altogether specifically for this story that lightly references to the original inspiration. Since that included using a different name altogether, I did research to find another name that had the same meaning as the original name, and I came across Hannah, which means grace. Perhaps this is unusually low of me, but for the record, I don't really care, especially since it's three-o-clock in the morning.
> 
> Now that I have my confession out of the way, time to move on to chapter three.


	3. Memories

She hoped that it wasn't raining in Zootopia.

Exactly why the weather decided it might be fun to suddenly downpour, it was beyond the breegull. Nonetheless, it's not like she could tell it to stop. In a funny way, she was actually grateful for it. Exactly when and how it became so, she wasn't sure, but she figured that it might have been the influence of Banjo teaching her that there were many ways to have fun, one of them relaxing under the full sound of nature itself.

Was it strange to be sitting by the window and looking out into this same rain, thinking about no one or anything else but the one who just left? To Kazooie, that was weird, and really weird for that matter, primarily on the basis that she shouldn't be doing it in the first place. She knew that the bear was stupid, but she also knew that he was going to be alright, and that he was probably having a lot of fun on his date right about now.

However, she knew that there was a bigger, deeper reason why she was sitting and gazing at the window and into the rain. In fact, if there was anyone else that had an idea of what she was thinking right about now, it was the little kid that she had promised Banjo that she was going to look after. So was this little bear behind her, though a good distance away. Tooty was within Kazooie's earshot, but not so close that feeling her presence was very light. Nonetheless, Tooty only wanted to be within her earshot in order for the bird to hear what she had to say.

"Why are you still up?" Kazooie asked, ironically speaking first.

"I can't sleep," Tooty replied.

"Do you need me to tuck you in?" Kazooie inquired, looking at her and speaking in a more gentle manner than usual, as she was well aware that if the sky started to clap lighting, she might have a harder time putting the bear to sleep.

"I need you to give me an answer," Tooty said, taking the bird back by a little shock (which never really showed too much on her face except in her eyes), "I need to know why you didn't tell Banjo that you were against him going on this blind date."

"I thought you were happy for him," the bird remarked, raising one of her eyebrows.

"I am, in a way, but you're avoiding the question."

"Look Toot, Banjo knows me better than most people do. If he had agreed with my feelings about it, he wouldn't have gone on the date to begin with."

"But you also know Banjo better than most people do, and you know that sometimes you need to tell him straight out, or he'll never get it."

"I didn't need to this time. Besides, aren't you happy that he's going on his first date?"

"I told you before - I am - but you aren't."

That wasn't a question - that was a statement. As Kazooie turned her head back to the window, it was evidence to the smaller bear that what she had said was true. Banjo was stupid, yes, but Kazooie was stubborn - more stubborn than anyone she had ever met, even those she knew in her class all the way in a distant district in Zootopia.

"Tooty," Kazooie finally said, her voice trying to be gentle, yet dominantly firm and perhaps a little broken, "I know that you know how I feel about him. The truth is that it's..."

"Complicated?"

The bird looked at her - now she was being the stubborn one.

"Look, I can't buy the idea that it's complicated," Tooty said, "You and Banjo have been through a lot, and I'm guessing that you've been through a lot more than any normal individual could or should go through. You were found by Banjo on Breegull Beach, saved me, him saving you, and both of you having to take on that same witch who caused all that mess in the first place a few more times before you had a showdown for all of Spiral Mountain. I don't know what you call it, but adding to the fact that you both nit, pick, and fight with each other on occasion (sometimes over stupid things) and can still live in the same house - I call that complicated."

She looked at her as the words first began to sink in. However, the more they did, the more she couldn't look at her, and returned her gaze to the window.

"Just... think about it, please?" the small bear pleaded, "I know you haven't told him yet, or he wouldn't have agreed to go on that date, but I really think he needs to know."

Kazooie didn't look back at her, but from the sound of her gentle footsteps making their way upstairs, the bird figured that she was going to bed on her own. She thought that by discovering, Tooty would have a better grasp on the situation. However, she believed that on the account of her age, and the lack of experience herself, she still didn't understand Kazooie's position in the matter.

However, what was undeniable was the very thing Tooty had discovered, for Kazooie the Breegull was inevitably, undeniably in love with Banjo the Honey Bear.

It wasn't that she was in denial about her feelings, for she had come to terms with them a long time ago, but the truth was that she had not told her best friend how she really felt about him. Sadly, upon finally coming to terms about her feelings, she realized she didn't now how to execute them, much less get them across to even the bear who knew her the best. To make it worse, Bottles had already proposed a potential mate for him. Yes, she had come to terms with her feelings right around the time Bottles began to suggest that someone else might be suited for him. One one wing, she was jealous (which had fueled the reason why she was against this in the first place), but on the other wing, especially with the way that the mole had described her, it was obvious that this girl could actually make a better mate for him than she ever could.

From what she had heard about her, it was the very reason she kept her beak shut. She didn't like it, but it was obvious that she would make a better mate for Banjo. First off, she was actually a bear, so if he ever wanted children, she could provide him with just that. Second, and because she was a bear, that also meant that she had no beak - that meant she could also satisfy his desire for a kiss, should he ever want one. She had thought about it over and over, and she kept concluding that under their physical circumstances, there was no way that they could kiss, and she understood how much kisses meant to other animals, especially bears. Finally, there could be hundreds of other things about the very fact that he was a bear.

Point blank was that they were different, and too different for that matter. Not only in species were they different, but also in personality. In a way, they were each other's polar opposites, yet they were able to work out their differences at a young age and work like the incredible duo that they were now. That didn't mean that they would work out romantically, should Kazooie's fancy of an inter schminter* with Banjo ever became a reality. They were just friends who were really good at working together - yet this fact didn't make void of another fact, and that was the fact that she was in love with him. She remembered this fact with the memory of her wings against his tuxedo-clad chest.

With burning cheeks, Kazooie thought to herself how handsome he had looked in that monkey suit*.

She remembered the first time she had seem him wear one - it was at the celebration to being deeded Spiral Mountain after they had defeated Gruntilda for good. Chuckling to herself, now that she thought about it, not once had Banjo changed over the years since she had first met him. From day one that she had met him, there was not much about Banjo's golden personality that altered. Ironically, she felt that she had changed much, yet she could easily blame Banjo for all of it. Would she change Banjo for the whole world? Probably not - there was nothing about Banjo that seemed imperfect, while at the same time she felt as if she had taken any potential imperfection that Banjo could have had into herself.

That bear was a big sweetheart, and every memory that she had of him justified that, including all of the times they had fought over some of the stupidest things.

Yes, Banjo the Honey Bear of Spiral Mountain was a big, stupid, beautiful sweetheart.

If only she could take him as her own.

The memories she had of him did justify to something else as well - that Tooty was right. They did, indeed, go through a lot of things that would be considered abnormal. Her life had not in the least bit normal, so when Tooty explained to her what normal was (at least the best way she could), it made sense why she saw that it wasn't. By now, she didn't really care about that fact, or what others might think of her abnormality. However, she did care about what Banjo thought about her, originally because of friendship, but now because of another level of love altogether.

However, if there was one thing between her and Banjo that she valued more than his opinion was the honesty between them.

Just a few days ago, they had gotten into a quarrel about Kazooie being slightly more overprotective than usual. Banjo had noticed it and tried to reason with her that there was no need for it. However, because she was still hiding her feelings, became frustrated with the bear and it lead to a quarrel. Sure, they settled the matter before they were introduced to this blind date, but the fact was that whenever she seemed to have a chance to tell Banjo what was really on her mind, actually in her heart, she would get interrupted from ever telling him as if there was a secret conspiracy against her and the only time she ever had a crush on someone.

The sad memories she had of Banjo made her frustrated, but the happier ones sent a warmth through her chest that fulled her love for him.

Banjo had already taken a notice of the lack of honesty between them. Whether or not it changes their relationship forever, one thing was certain: somehow, someday, she was going to have to come clean with Banjo. If she didn't do it tonight, there was a chance (even if slightly) that she might lose her shot with him forever.

As the memories of her past and the desires she had for the future started to make even the more obvious what she really wanted, she began to notice how the sun was starting to set, making the rain that was falling look like stars falling from the sky. However, these falling stars began to slowly cease, not really helping the fact that the ground was wet, yet it was no longer pouring. In a way, it seemed to match the hope in her soul, as if the sky had finally opened up a pathway like some distant hope finally coming into view.

She had a strong feeling in her gut that she was about to walk right into another fight with Banjo if she did this, but the truth of the matter was that he needed to know. Banjo needed to know that his best friend had fallen in love with him. Heaving an irrepressible sigh, she looked upstairs for a second and thought to herself that her confession wasn't going to be the only thing that Banjo was going to be potentially mad about. Yes, what she was about to do was horribly selfish, but she sent a silent prayer to the heavens to protect Tooty while she went to go do what she knew in her heart that she needed to go.

"Banjo's so going to kill for this..."

Once she was certain that the door was locked, after leaving the house, of course, she turned to look at the sunset. If her memory was serving her correctly from all of Bottle's ranting about how he got to Zootopia, she was going to have to take the same road Banjo took a few hours ago. There was no going back now, but she knew that she wasn't going to regret doing this - she was just concerned for the outcome.

Then again, like the memories of before, they had each other - they always did.

She only hoped it would remain that way as she took the wind under her wings and once again made herself well-acquainted with the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES  
> *inter schminter: inter-species relationship - the concept first introduced by Spintherella's Zootopia Comic Inter Schminter  
> *monkey suit: slang term for tuxedo
> 
> COMMENTS:  
> And great reveal number one - Kazooie has been in love with Banjo.
> 
> I made it to two-thousand, two-hundred, and eighty-seven page count! Even with the footnotes, that's not too bad for where I've been the last two chapters. Anywho, I don't have too much to comment about this chapter, only that Kazooie's about to go get her man... or bear. XD
> 
> Well? Don't just sit there! Don't you want to know what's going to happen next? Off with you to chapter four!


	4. Encouragement

She had heard that it was huge.

To see it for herself, however, was certainty a different story.

Huge was underestimating the actual size of the city, and full of predominately mammals, of all things. Perhaps it was the dominantly mammal population would explain that flight restriction Kazooie had come to quickly grow a deep disgust for, and even began to digger pit for that distaste the more she was reminded that she had to trot by talons everywhere in the huge city.

The bird had been within the districts of Zootopia for three hours already, and thoroughly exhausted. By now, she was already used to the dirty looks that she had been receiving, and inevitably grew tired of them. Then again, it wasn't like she was here for them anyway, least by now that she would have given them a piece of her mind. As the city began to become more quiet than what she had grown used to, she knew her talons needed a rest, and proceeded to take a rest over by the fountain that was so conveniently near.

If flying had been just as convenient, she wouldn't be in this predicament - she would have already talked Banjo out of that date, or at least tried to. Wherever he went was beyond her, and it started to piss her off that something that was so simple was now complicated. Before another thought could pass her mind, she put her wings to her face in frustration.

Tooty was right... Tooty was always right... well... at least about her feelings for Banjo.

She should have just told him right then and there the thoughts and feelings that were really brewing within her mind and heart as she had brushed off the wrinkles from his tuxedo. She should have just taken him within her wings and refused to let him go on this blind date with someone he had not met until today, and maybe even have at least tried to kiss him (which was obviously hard for a mammal and a bird). Heck, she should have slapped the living daylights out of the goggle-boy who even suggested the ridiculous notion in the first place. Kazooie had always been a bit possessive of things that mattered to her, but apparently no one understood that she was possessive of Banjo as well.

That bear was hers, and she should have proved it with just three words.

Kazooie was halfway tempted to swear to never to return home unless she had the bear with her, but her thoughts were broken of deep concentration by the sudden paw that came to rest on her shoulder.

From the feel of it, she knew immediately that it wasn't Banjo's, yet looking up didn't hurt anyway, confirming with her eyes that her speculation was true. She was startled, however, by the individual that did - a tiger, to be sure, yet there was something about the eyes and the stature of the individual that indicated that one's best guess would be a female. Nonetheless, despite being female or male, Kazooie wasn't acquainted with the individual, and wasn't comfortable in accepting such a touch, even if genuine.

"Do I know you?" she asked.

"No, you don't," replied the other in a hushed voice that silenced all doubts regarding her gender, "But I was wondering if you were alright."

"Asking a complete stranger if they're okay? Seriously?" Kazooie asked, brushing off her paw as she did so, "Look, I don't want to be mean, but I'm trying to look for someone, and I sincerely doubt you would be of any help to me, so don't get your hopes up and go find some other animal to help."

The tiger understood that Kazooie meant 'animal' in the sense of the fact that she wasn't a mammal herself, yet her face softened anyway at the obvious lie she was pouring out of her beak. The truth of the matter was that Kazooie was frustrated, and did need her help, in a round about sort of way, yet nonetheless able to admit it. In fact, she knew the words that were going to leave her mouth were going to spark some hope, and lost no time into letting them flow.

"Perhaps you do, or perhaps you don't - the point doesn't change that we're both looking for someone."

She tried not to smile, and did it with marvelous ease as the bird looked at her with complete shock. It was after Kazooie began to realize that it was clearly written all over her face that she turned and looked away, her face giving away her mental complexity before looking back up at the female tiger once again.

"Okay, maybe I do need your help," Kazooie confessed, "Two eyes would be better than one."

Sinking in the reality of her rudeness towards potential help, Kazooie rose from from where she was sitting and extended her wing to the female tiger, as if to gesture a handshake.

"Kazooie of Spiral Mountain," she said, her voice far less rude than it had been just a few minutes ago.

"Tigress of China," the female tiger replied, accepting her wing into a firm handshake.

"Tigress, huh? Strange name."

"As is yours - I don't know many individuals who carry a name that derives from an instrument."

"Then you've obviously never met Banjo."

"Is that who you are looking for?"

"Yeah," Kazooie remarked as they began to make their way further from the fountain, "Who are you looking for?"

"A bear by the name of Po," Tigress replied, "Tall, flabby - pretty much everything you would expect from a panda except the eyes - they're green, like jade."

"Well, if I knew what jade looked like, I would know what color eyes to look for."

The female tiger chuckled.

"But you came off kind of dreamy there," Kazooie pointed out, "Do you like the guy?"

"Elaborate on 'like'."

"What I mean is if you like like him... you know, love."

Tigress stopped for a minute, glancing at Kazooie as she did so. Sure, their paces didn't really cease, but the lack of a response over a reasonable amount of time made the bird wonder if she had overstepped her boundaries. Before she could apologize, or do anything of the sort, a quick answer left her lips.

"What was that?" Kazooie inquired, smiling, "Was that a 'yes'?"

"Something of that nature," Tigress replied, her voice still low yet nonetheless flustered by her own confession.

"Does he know?"

"Of course not."

"Why haven't you told him?"

"I know you haven't met him, but Po is rather... simple, in his own sort of way. I don't know how yet, but there are some things that are hard for Po to understand, despite our now deeply rooted friendship which has now expanded to five years. Even if I did tell him, I do not know how he'll react, much less return the kind of disposition I have towards him."

"...Wait, wait, wait... simple as in stupid?"

"...In a rather insulting way... yes."

"Okay, so let me see if I have this right - you, the strong, hard-core type of girl who also has a serious need for independence, became friends with a guy that you would have never thought it would be possible to become friends with, and now you two are inseparable.

Now, after a very long time, you suddenly realize you have feelings for the same guy you once saw as stupid, some of it coming from that stupidity, yet adorable with a mix of endurance because while you once put up with his stupidity, he also put up with your arrogance and rude manner.

Since you've come to accept these feelings, you don't know what to do with them, but you'll know that someday, if you don't say something now, another girl who others will think is more compatible will take him from you. And the truth of the matter being that you don't want that to happen simply because, even though you won't admit it now, you're jealous - deeply rooted jealous."

Kazooie then began to talon herself backward to look at the rather surprised Tigress as she walked, at least long enough to ask a question.

"Did I get it?"

From her look, Kazooie smiled and turned her body back around, least she have better way of seeing where she was going.

"I think I got it."

"Are you certain that we haven't been acquainted before?"

"Pretty sure, but to be honest, you aren't the only overly-reserved, jealous girl in the world."

"Obviously not, as you seem to speak from personal experience. Is this from that 'Banjo' you were speaking of?"

"Who else would it be?" Kazooie asked with a light, pathetic smile, a huge blush covering her beak, "But yeah, I like him. I have for a long time."

"Does he know?"

"No."

"So why are you here?"

"To finally tell him. I know he's on a date now, and I'm putting a lot at risk because of the timing alone, but for the record, I really don't care anymore. He means too much to me in order for him to get swept up by some chick he's never met."

"You mean by someone else, you mean other than you?"

"Yeah."

The girls chuckled for a minute, but as the thought occurred to her, Kazooie looked over at Tigress, now no longer walking, by which in the same time Tigress stopped walking as well, peering into a random store.

"So why are we out here?"

"I don't know your customs around Spiral Mountain," Tigress said, opening the door to the store as she spoke, admitting Kazooie in as she spoke, "But in Zootopia, it's not exactly kosher* to be walking around with just one's fur... or feathers in your case."

"I don't have any money, you know," Kazooie said with a strong hint of warning, "Much less a Jiggy*... or a Note* in that matter..."

"That's why I'll pay for it," Tigress insisted, following after Kazooie, yet also ahead of her to make her way to the desk before the bird did, "Mei-Mei?"

At the name, a large, female panda popped her head out from under the desk, which gave Kazooie quite the scare. Since Tigress didn't seem to be the least bit moved by the appearance of the bear (if at minimal, the polar opposite), but Mei-Mei took one look at Tigress and her chubby face brightened as if she had seen her before, yet all the more honored to see her all over again.

"Tigress!" she exclaimed, "My favorite tiger customer, and customer at all in that matter, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could help a friend here," Tigress said, gesturing to Kazooie, "Something comfortable."

"Hmmm," Mei-Mei said thoughtfully, putting her paw to her chin as if observing Kazooie with anticipation, which made the bird worry, if even more by the time the bear snapped her fingers, "Ah! I think I know just the thing!"

Without too much loss of time, Mei-Mei began to scan through the walls of clothes that had once greeted them when they came in, yet Kazooie didn't seem to be the slightest considerate of their presence until Mei-Mei was going through them with the kind of speed she wouldn't the least bit expect from a panda, pretty surprised if she would admit it even to herself.

"Wings are hard to find something comfortable for, but the weather tonight should be just right for this sort of thing," Mei-Mei said as she did all of this within a matter of seconds, pulling out one garment that seemed, from sight alone, having a shot of fitting on Kazooie, "Something flashy?"

"Probably not a good idea," Tigress imputed, "Just something that covers in an appealing way."

"Appealing?" Kazooie inquired, a strong emphasis on the word that left her beak.

"Well, if you're going to barge in on a date, you should at least look remotely decent," Tigress said with a smile, earning her an annoyed blush from the bird.

Before Kazooie could protest, however, the clothes went on with marvelous ease: a yellow tied top that matched the yellow on her wings and gave her an odd reminisce of Banjo's shorts. Even before she could get any words out, a mirror was thrust in front of her, or perhaps the other way around, and she found herself staring into her own reflection.

For the record, for something as simple as a yellow tied top, it made a reasonable difference. Sure, it wasn't that big of a change, if there ever was one, but it did look nice, and the light smile that formed on her face proved that.

"It's-" Kazooie began to remark before she realized that she had been smiling, and forced her composure back to normal, "...It's nice. I take it that I need pants with this too?"

"No, not really," Mei-Mei said, "Birds don't come around into Zootopia very often, but when they do, they normally don't have pants. Probably from the fact there aren't any kind of pants for that species."

"Okay, good," Kazooie said, "I wasn't sure how many garments I could handle."

Both the tiger and the panda chuckled a little, but the panda was most audible. Nonetheless, Kazooie gave her reflection a close examination regarding minor details as the panda put the question on the table for the female tiger.

"So are you going to go see Po today?" she inquired.

"I am," she answered, her smile not very audible, but noticeably prevalent on her face, "I ran into Kazooie on the way there."

"Kazooie? What an odd but charming name. Is it common from where you are from to have a name related to instruments?"

"No, not really," Kazooie replied, finally giving Mei-Mei physical attention by means of a simple gaze, "It's just me, Banjo, and Tooty that have instrument-related names. I suppose that it's just been in Banjo's family and it rubbed off on him when he named me."

"Named you?" Tigress remarked, "You have a crush on your father?"

"Ew! No!" the bird snapped with a deeply harsh blush, "He just found me when I was little and took me in...! Besides, we're around the same age."

"Awww, that's so romantic," Mei-Mei said with a dream-like tone, "To imagine, being saved by your future lover.

"I wouldn't say lover yet," Tigress corrected, "She intends on telling him how she feels, even if it means walking in on a date."

"See, if I were the other woman, I would be hurt," Mei-Mei pointed out with honesty, and smiling at Kazooie as she did so, "But I have to admit the kind of bravery you're presenting. I keep telling Tigress that she needs to do the same thing. If she doesn't do it now, she might end up being in your... well... talons."

"Good thing we told her the same thing," Kazooie remarked, smiling a bit at the comforting honesty, though odd under the circumstances, "I've waited too long anyway, but now that I have had time to think it over, I don't think I'm giving Banjo enough credit on our friendship. We've been friends too long to let something like this break it."

Due to the fact that Kazooie had turned her gaze away as she spoke, wondering to herself why she was thinking too much about her newfound appearance, she didn't see the shock written on the faces of Mei-Mei and Tigress. For a few seconds, they looked at her, but soon turned their expressions to each other, the female panda the first to change her expression from shock to one that told Tigress that she did tell her so, and should probably take the indirect advice coming from the bird.

However, all of them were knocked clean out of their focus by the ringing of the bell that had once told Mei-Mei that Tigress and Kazooie were entering. Then again, given the present circumstances, this was a different individual altogether - one that gave Kazooie an unusual reminiscing of her own crush, for there, unbeknownst to Kazooie, was Po.

Po was, indeed, a bear, but not a honey bear like Banjo: he was black, white, and really fat, although it seemed to give a natural aura in his appearance, as if he could have been related to Boggy in some form of distant way. Exactly why the brown shorts that looked to be stitched together in half a million places seemed to fit him, Kazooie wasn't sure, but they did. Now while Kazooie was telling the truth about never seeing an actual jade in all her life, she did feel like Po's eyes looked a lot like a precious green gemstone, and emeralds just didn't seem to fit that description completely. The only other striking feature, other than the fat that seemed to fit so well along his body, was the warm smile that made her think of Banjo. Until now, Kazooie was certain that Banjo was the only one capable of such affection, but felt she had been proven wrong in a matter of seconds.

Ironically, all it took was a matter of seconds for Kazooie to observe him, although she never caught his eyes until he turned around, for he was opening the door with his backside, since both of his paws were holding something that looked rather fragile. What was in the box must have been, but on the side had a shop's logo that she had never seen before: Ping's Noodle Shop. It was all of this observing that made Kazooie useless in regards to any real help, so it was just Tigress who went to the door to open it for her friend.

"Oh, thank you," Po said with that smile before he turned to see who had done the kind deed - almost dropping the contents after realizing who had done so.

Given their dexterity, Po had been able to catch the box before any damage was done. However, Tigress was thinking along the same lines as he did, and the pair had only realized after the deed was done that they had caught the box at the same time. Realizing what they had done, the pair froze for a second or two, then slowly looking into the eyes of the other.

Mei-Mei sighed with relief that no real harm had been done, but Kazooie had to put one of her wings in front of her beak to try to muffle out any potential laughter. These two were such dorks together - which all the more reminded her of her own precious bear.

Coming out of their stupor from the light laugh that came from Kazooie, the pair looked at Kazooie, then once again at each other, and then at the box, not tearing their gaze away from the box until after they were both on their own two feet. A light frown began to form on Tigress' face when she carefully removed her paws from the box she knew was not hers, and didn't notice the hint of disappointment that rang through Po, which had come to disappear before Tigress looked at him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks for helping me."

"Why are you here?" Tigress inquired, knowing that Po would have known that this store specialized in more feminine garments, though not completely void of male customers.

"Mei-Mei likes to order from us a lot," Po remarked, a little surprised that with as well acquainted the two females were, Tigress was not aware of that detail.

Giving Tigress a smile, Po approached Mei-Mei with the order she had requested, the female of the two pandas relieved that nothing had been done to ruin it. As she dug around for the money to complete the transaction, Kazooie glanced over at Tigress, who was looking rather thoughtfully at the pair. Exactly what Tigress was thinking, or expecting, she didn't know, but given what had just happened, this had to be the guy Tigress had such a huge crush on, and man, was she right about the sense of being polar opposites.

Maybe it was a good thing she had said something when she did.

"Thanks again," Mei-Mei said, smiling.

"Hey, no problem," Po replied, "Order from us again sometime - we appreciate the service."

Po gave a genuine smile to first Kazooie and then to Tigress before reaching the door, giving an equally genuine farewell. However, just before Kazooie started to wonder what the heck Tigress was waiting for, the male panda stopped himself at the door, his paw flexing as if in some form of mental perplexity. Twice he opened his paws, as if to grab for the doorknob, but each time he did, he would close them again, as if there were something on his mind. Whatever was on his mind, it seemed to prevail his reason, the bear turning and walking over to Tigress with a smile that tried to make it look like nothing had happened.

Tigress knew that he was perplexed about something, and wondering why he was trying to play it off, but that confusion changed to amazement when he dug something out of his pocket as he approached her.

"Oh, I forgot to give you this," Po said, taking one of Tigress' paws and putting into that paw a letter, the gentle nature of it all seeming to indicate that this letter was of great importance.

He never saw it, but as Po looked at the letter being placed into her hands, a sense of sweet relief fell over him, making the female tiger all the more complexed about the contents of the letter. As a sigh left his lips, the panda looked at her straight in the eyes with one of his usual smiles.

"Read it when you get a chance," he asked, "You don't have to answer right away... so... I'll see you later?"

"Of course," Tigress remarked, her tone giving a hint of surprise if she didn't, but that relieved Po anyway.

Giving a nod, he looked over at Kazooie for a split second before making his way toward the door. It wasn't until after the bear had left that Kazooie finally spoke up.

"What in the world was that about?"

"I don't know..." Tigress said as she, with one of her claws, carefully tore the top of the envelope to obtain the letter within and read the contents, "It is rather odd for him to write a letter. We have each other's number, after all."

"I think it's rather romantic," Mei-Mei said, "You would think that because it's a letter it's something important."

For a minute, Tigress didn't respond, but all within good reason: she was reading the letter. However, it was the expressions that started to take place on her face is what seemed to strike the bird and the panda. At first, it was curiosity, then confusion, then shock, and then something like realization with a mix of being deeply touched.

It wasn't until she left, with the letter falling behind her, that made them worry. However, since Mei-Mei had to walk around a counter, it was Kazooie that reached the falling letter first, and lost no time doing so and diving into the contents that now aroused her curiosity.

Hey Tigress,

I've been thinking - a lot actually - and it's been about you.

Well, to be more specific, about us. I realized that all of the thinking I've been doing soon became too much - I know how I feel and as much as I want to give you pretty words to tell you how I feel, I see now that I just can't do that. Then again, you much prefer that I be straight-forward, right? So I'll just do it the best way I know how.

I like you, a lot, and could even be in love with you, but I'd like to explore that with you... that is, if it's alright.

Can we just... talk?

You don't like secrets, and after thinking about it, I don't want to hold this back anymore. If you do want to talk, can we meet over by the peach trees in the downtown area? You don't have to think of it like a date, but I would really appreciate it if it was just us, because there is a lot more I need to say that I'm sure you want to know.

I only have the guts to say the most important part about this, and that is that I really really like you.

With Love,

Po Ping

"Awww!" Mei-Mei squealed a bit, much to the unseen, but still victimized, ears of Kazooie, "That is so adorable."

"What do you think she's going to do?"

"Let's go see!"

With a speed that Kazooie was surprised that Mei-Mei was even capable of, the female panda speed ahead of the bird to the front of her shop, with a look rather flabbergasted that Kazooie wasn't sure of it's source until she looked in the same direction as she did, though her look was rather impressed than amazed at the sudden move.

Yes, a move, for while they heard none of it, they did see one thing, and that was Tigress leaning up to Po to give him a kiss - that one on the lips.

Like them, he was surprised, yet as the reality began to sink in that what Tigress was doing was genuine and real, his mind began to reel into the kiss, those jade eyes closing to become better attentive to the affection at paw. It seemed to those doing so that it was too painfully short, yet those who observed them, it was much longer, and Tigress was the first to break the kiss because she was also the first to lose air. In addition, she had also lost the panic of losing him, and had relaxed some time in between starting and ending that very kiss.

However, there was one thing they did in unison, and that was opening their eyes. The jade eyes gazed into his own sunset, but she also knew that the poor panda was flabbergasted, thus deserving an explanation. However, still flustered by her sudden, and rather strong move, a hint of embarrassment flustered over her fur-covered cheeks. It was this same embarrassment that lead her to look away.

"You said that I didn't have to think of it like a date," Tigress finally mustered, her voice very close to calm, yet a friend (such as Po) could tell she was a bit nervous, "But if it's all the same to you, I would very much like to think of it as a date."

Her paws had not once left his chest, since she had to be so close to give him that kiss. Perhaps it was another source of how nervous she felt. Then again, the fact she didn't move seemed to prove all the more how much she liked him, as she didn't want to move from her place next to him. Ironically, the feelings were returned, but it started to dawn on the panda after that very kiss that it was more than just being by the other's side that was returned, and he allowed a truly happy, genuine smile form on his face, but not once breaking the gaze he had on just her in all of Zootopia.

It wasn't until Po grabbed her paws into his own that Tigress saw that very smile, and eventually grew to smile herself.

"Tonight, then?" Po offered.

"Maybe," Tigress replied, the panda making a confused look before she explained further, lightly tightening the hold strictly for reassurance, "I have a friend that is looking for someone in Zootopia, and I made it my business to help her out."

"Oh!" he said with realization, "Well, where's your friend?"

"Back in the shop."

"Well, think I can lend a paw?" Po insisted as they walked back to the shop, "An extra pair of eyes for the search?"

"Good idea," Tigress remarked, going through the door that Po offered open to her, "But we first need to know who-"

And so came the sudden squealing of Mei-Mei behind the counter, giggling and wiggling like a child who had just learned she was going to the candy store. Seeing that Mei-Mei's excitement came from probably observing what had just occurred, Tigress could only role her eyes and shake her head, smiling at her over-energetic friend. Po also had nothing to say, except a nervous chuckle and rubbing the back of his head with one of his paws. However, he was the first to look at the other individual in the room, turning to her as the question that lingered in his mind came to his lips.

"Is this your friend?" Po asked.

"I am," Kazooie remarked for Tigress, "I guess she told you that I'm looking for someone?"

"Yeah, and if you'd like, I want to help."

"I'm going to need all the help I can get. This is my first time in Zootopia, and I know just as much about the place as a fish knows how to walk."

"That's not good, but lucky for you, I have a friend who knows Zootopia like the back of his paw," Po said as he whipped out a phone that looked too large for Kazooie, but just right in the paws of such a huge bear, "He's in the police force, but he knows everyone."

"Are you talking about...?"

"Him? Yeah, him. Trust me, Tigress - if he doesn't know your friend's friend, then he would know someone who does."

As Po was entranced in looking through what looked to be a long list of contacts, Kazooie turned to look at the mirror once again, lost within the thoughts of what Banjo was doing right now. Up until now, she had tried to keep her heart in the right place, but now if she was wrong, it was ironically because of her heart.

There was one thing she had more faith in right now other than her heart, and there was more faith in that then she had in her newfound friends.

And why not? What she trusted in the most was something that formed through the growth of time and reaped deep affection, even to a degree that she didn't even think it was possible until it was overflowing in her heart.

What was it?

The unbreakable friendship she had with a certain stupid honey bear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOOTNOTES:  
> \- kosher: selling or serving food ritually fit according to Jewish law; being proper, acceptable, or satisfactory - In Tigress' case, she was using it in the terms of being proper/acceptable/satisfactory  
> \- Jiggy: (from the Banjo-Kazooie games) golden jigsaw pieces that Banjo and Kazooie must collect in order to advance in the game.  
> \- Note: (from the Banjo-Kazooie games) golden notes that Banjo and Kazooie collected throughout the worlds and used in various situations, such as opening doors. Probably the closest thing the game has to currency.
> 
> COMMENTS:  
> A little FYI... or, well, a lot of FYI...
> 
> First off, I intentionally made footnotes in case someone who was reading this fiction knows one or two universes that are being mentioned, but not the other. This would risk in the readers to not get certain references. Thus, I went through the trouble of footnoting what I could.
> 
> Second, Po and the five are from China in this universe, but since the universe is modern, I guess all of them did their own traveling or something. I'll leave that to your imagination, especially to those five who haven't been mentioned.
> 
> I find it hilarious that I was able to unintentionally fit in a remark by Tigress on assuming Kazooie's love interest (Banjo) was also her father. For those who don't know, it is canon in the Kung-Fu Panda series (Legends of Awesomeness, which is the worst thing to ever happen to the series) that Tigress had a crush on Shifu, which Po makes a remark about in one of the episodes.
> 
> Another note that might be worth your interest is the fact that it is canon in the Banjo-Kazooie series that Banjo saved Kazooie. In Banjo-Kazooie: Gruntilda's Revenge, Banjo makes a remark upon entering Breegull Beach that it was the same spot that he found Kazooie: in a cave and huddled in the famous blue backpack that we see Banjo carry around. I haven't played the game myself, and thus going on wikis. If I am wrong about this, please let me know so I can correct the information.
> 
> Yes, I know it's kind of cliche, in its own way, but Po's step-dad, Mr. Ping, does have his own noodle shop in Zootopia in this story - don't get too mad. I had to reasonably fit in Po somehow other than the fact he's Tigress' crush. I was originally going to have them together, but as I was writing, I had another idea come to me altogether. Yes, Mei-Mei set them up.
> 
> Now, I wasn't sure what kind of clothes to do at first, but I came up with something reasonable.
> 
> Since Tigress now has her lovely panda, and you're probably wondering what Banjo is doing, proceed to the next chapter, if you dare.


	5. Realization

He was so dumb.

Yes, Kaozoie had told him that many times in the past, and far more genuine in relation to how she spoke to others, even in the heated situations they would normally come through. On this night, however, it actually hit him harder than ever, and felt even more stupid than he actually was.

Why didn't he see it before? The fact he didn't seemed to prove the notion that his stupidity was true. He even let this notion brew in his mind for a bit despite his revelation that had occured only a few hours ago.

He felt stupid, yes, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it, not with what he knew now.

The reality of the world seemed to finally pity the poor bear, and finally gave him a moment of peace in a strange serenity. Couples were romantically entranced with their significant other, but the night was perfect for such a thing, and Banjo didn't mind watching them, even though he had just finished leaving his first date.

Well, first and failed date, to be more precise.

He blamed himself for that, and did not mind doing so: he knew it was his fault.

If he was, then, at peace with his circumstances, and the stupidity that was the cause of it, why was he so downhearted? Sadly, he had lost sight of Bottles, and thus his sense of direction to get back to the train station. Banjo had a feeling that Bottles was aware of this already, and losing his head on his current whereabouts. It was his philosophy of "not crying over spilled milk" that kept him together for as long as his feet could carry him. However, he drew weary on his quest for his mole friend when he came to the park, and sat down for that very reason. Despite his bad luck before, he was relieved to see a socket in one of the light poles near a seat in the park, and used it for his now dead phone. Now all he had to do was wait, and there was one thing occupying his mind that lead to other thoughts. It was the same reminiscing to not-so-long ago that brought his paws to his face and made him walk down the early avenues of memory lane.

It had all started when he began to feel what he first thought to be homesickness. He missed the open air, the clear skies that made stars obvious, and practically everything Spiral Mountain had but Zootopia did not. Most of all, he missed who he shared Spiral Mountain with, Kazooie most of all.

However, he was a bear of his word, and had promised the insisting Bottles ("pestering goggle-boy" as Kazooie so laughably called him when he first made the proposition) that he would do what he could to give Hannah a fair chance at a serious relationship. He had also made a promise to Kazooie some time after learning that Banjo was going to go through with this: that he would be honest with himself during the date, no matter the outcome. Despite the cryptic nature that Kazooie was under to compel him to do so, he began to feel that he was upholding the promise he made to Bottles much better than the one he made to Kazooie, and that sickened him.

Kazooie was his best friend. Sure, she had quite the mouth (or beak, call it which you please) to even occasionally piss him off, but she had a heart that was in the right place (or tried be to when it was not), so there had to be some reason why she made him promise. He had known her for a long time, yet couldn't even fathom (at least at the time) why she would do such a thing.

It was only until now that he began to believe that Kazooie, somehow, felt threatened by this new female. Tooty was his sister, so there was no reasonable threat there, but this was a female they had never seen before that took the interest in a manner that had also never been observed by Kazooie. If things went like Bottles had hoped, then that would mean less time for the dynamic duo could spend together, and in that regard Banjo would understand.

However, there was one detail to consider - was this something he really wanted? To spend less time with Kazooie?

He knew that Bottles wanted him and Hannah to work because not only was he rather enthusiastic about every positive trait one would think of when observing Hannah, but he was also the one that set them up in the first place. Could the girl that Bottles insisted could be a potential soulmate be the same one he wanted? Until Bottles brought up Hannah, he had honestly not looked for a mate - he was in Spiral Mountain with Tooty and his best friend and was content to be so. Did he really have to forefill an obligation of passing his genes to the next generation if he knew in his heart he didn't want to? The idea was pleasant, and delightful in a way, but there was something about doing all of this with Hannah that made him feel trapped.

Could it be from the fact that he had not known about her until today? Could it be that they were not friends first, and grew what Humba called a proper relationship? Normally, Bottles would have been the smart one, which is why Banjo had come to agree to this proposition in the first place. However, the more he had went into the date, the more he started to believe that Humba was actually right all along.

Now there was nothing wrong with Hannah. Bottle's description of her was right - she was nice, beautiful, and very caring. The bear could honestly say that for a female honey bear, she wasn't so bad-looking. In fact, in a way, she was stunning, but despite her gorgeous looks and wonderful personality, Banjo could only admit to himself that what she liked just didn't seem to correlate well what what he liked.

He would even dare say that he felt like a lazy, pizza-eating slob in relation to the dainty creature he had been dating.

There was nothing he could think ill of her, but he knew that they were just too different in all the wrong ways, and felt regret every time he broke his promise to Kazooie into being honest by making himself believe that he wasn't giving Hannah a fair shot. He did his best to be a gentlemen: opened the door, offered his coat when it got cold, and spoke gently to her like a friend. Being nice wasn't out of his character, in fact he made him happy when he saw her smile, but the only thing that surpassed that when she became curious of all the adventures that he had been on with his best friend.

Exactly whether or not he went too far about talking about his adventures, he wasn't sure, but he felt that was the only interesting thing about him, and at the time didn't think too much about it. However, it was during this talk about his adventures was the beginning of his current circumstances.

"So what's it like being in the skies like that?" Hannah asked at last, as they were sitting at one of the tables outside of a cafe, where they had just ordered drinks from.

"It's... kind of hard to explain," Banjo replied, taking a thoughtful sip from his tea that had been sweetened with honey as he tried to come up with an answer, "I've been doing it for so long that it's almost like second nature now."

"Do you remember the first time you did it?"

"Heh... how could I forget?"

He had looked down into his glass as a peaceful smile formed on his face, remembering like it was yesterday the first time that they tried to fly.

Although to be expected for those who knew them, it had been Kazooie who insisted that she would be able to carry around such a large bear. Yes, he was much smaller then, but so was Kazooie, and that included her impressive strength that she carried in her wings. Banjo was also more simple back then, and was hurt when Kazooie insisted that Banjo not trying meant that he was a coward. After insisting many times that he was just worried about her, they tried it out.

Now the first time they threw themselves into the water, they actually landed in the water. They weren't at the top of the spiraling mountain that was within the center of their home, but it was high enough for such a small bear and bird to try their paw and wings at it. It was ironic to think that Kazooie had eventually started to get discouraged after the first week, but it had been Banjo who reminded Kazooie of her stubbornness and try to fly. By the end of the second month, with additional effort of what Kazooie called 'training', she had been able to lift herself and the bear off of the ground for the first time.

Banjo was ashamed to admit it, but he confessed that it was one of the prime reasons why he insisted that they go to the planetarium: he had hoped that he could give Hannah a similar experience among the stars that he knew that he had seen himself in real life.

"I take it then, you and Kazooie are very close?" she inquired.

"I think we are," Banjo replied, "I found her when she was small, and I never really thought about changing what Kazooie and I have. We're so different, but that's what I like about her. We... I don't know..."

"Complete each other with your differences?"

"I guess so," he said, looking at his tea with a soft smile, "Yeah, I suppose we do."

Hannah had been watching him the entire time, at a previous point conflicted about asking him the question, but the smile that was on Banjo's face seemed to confirm something, and she mustered the courage to ask what had been brewing in the back of her mind.

"How much do you like Kazooie?"

"What do you mean by that?" Banjo asked, laughing a little as the question left his lips, taking another sip of his tea.

"Do you like Kazzoie?"

"She's my best friend, so it would be a lie if I said that I didn't like her to some degree."

"Do you like Kazooie?"

The male bear of the couple had caught on to the fact that the female had asked him the same question a second time, only with emphasis on the word regarding his disposition. As the tea once again took rest on the table they were sitting by, he realized that Hannah had meant "like" on a different level. The shock that soon formed on his face was not the word nor the new context of it, but the feeling that was thumping through his chest as he took the new meaning to heart.

Banjo was surprised to find that not only did this new meaning make sense, but it was as if he had turned on a light in a dark room in his memory.

He had known for the longest time that he carried feelings for Kazooie beyond anything that he had felt for his other friends. Only until now did he have a word that seemed far more legit to his current situation. As the answer he knew to be the truth came to his mind, he gazed over at his date for a few seconds, but soon turned his head to the table, a paw coming to his lips like one in complete horror. The horror he was thus feeling was like a man realizing he had committed a great sin, and that was the exact feeling that was surging through him right now. Closing his eyes, he brought his paw to them, a sigh of defeat leaving his muzzle.

"I... Oh, Hannah, I..."

"You don't need to say anything."

Banjo looked up at her, his face obvious of the confusion that lingered there. However, Hannah was sitting there with her paws interlocked with one another, yet those interlocked paws did not hide the equally obvious smile. She was content with herself, and seemed to relax in a way that Banjo had not seen her do so before during the evening, yet couldn't bring himself to ask the question. Now it was her turn to look at her drink (being banana smoothie that was now half finished) with a soft smile and at peace with her thoughts.

"Please don't feel guilty about all of this," Hannah remarked.

"But I do..."

"Why should you feel horrible about realizing your true feelings?"

"But I dragged you into this."

"That's not true," she said, taking Banjo's paws into her own, "We both agreed to meet one another because Bottles insisted that we would be romantically compatible. You just needed help seeing that there was someone else occupying your thoughts. If this were not so, then I would have more confidence in this date, but the truth is you want to see someone else tonight, and I'm happy for you."

Looking down at their paws, Hannah blushed.

"Besides, you aren't the only one who felt forced into this, because I too have someone I want to see."

Hannah looked up at Banjo, smiling.

"You're one of the best individuals I have ever dated," she said, "and I see no reason why you would lose... so... can we just shake paws as friends and find the ones we love?"

Looking over to the road, the pair noticed a mole and a car. The car was the same one only Bottles knew had dropped off Hannah before, but Banjo seeing a familiar mole told him that if Hannah had not ended the date this way, she might have attempted to make an excuse. No one was perfect, and given what he knew now, it was understandable why she did what she did - not just for him, but for her as well. Looking back at each other, they shared smiles and he nodded.

"Yeah... I think so too... thank you, Hannah."

It was that same farewell that there was some level of peace.

However, Banjo had a lot on his mind, which lead him to this predicament of accidentally straying from the only guide he had back to the train station. Banjo had tried asking those around him, but the city was too fast for him and the people with them, leaving him discouraged along with a dead phone. The date that had taken most of the evening to do played again in his mind in a matter of minutes, and even though it took sometime to recall, he still couldn't turn on his phone on for another few minutes.

Bottles may not have been the best in advice regarding dates, but he probably should have listened to him in the matters of technology. If anything, he should have considered the fact that Jamjars told him to listen to him, and that was rare. Now he had a basic phone ("flip phone" others called it) that needed a good time to charge and trapped him with his thoughts.

Since the whole business had left him to his thoughts for so long, he realized all the more how badly he wanted to go home. The sooner he got home, the sooner he could tell Kazooie what was on his mind. Sure, she was probably asleep by now, and it would mean that he would have to wait until tomorrow morning, but he wouldn't mind waiting then.

He just wanted to be near Kazooie - this time, because he knew that she was the most important person in the whole world to him.

It was that undeniable feeling that he was now certain of that made him miss her even more. Even until now, the image of Kazooie passing his mind was almost as vivid as seeing her himself, but it wouldn't be the same thing as actually seeing her again. As his paws covered his face in frustration, the feelings that overwhelmed him lead a few tears down his fur-covered cheeks.

Hannah told him not to feel bad about it, but he did, and he figured it had to do with the fact that it not only was his first date, but that he hurt an innocent person in the process of realizing that there was someone so important to him. He needed to tell her what was really on his mind, so at least there was some hope of upholding the promise of being honest. The only comfort he got from all of this was the fact that he did uphold both of the promises now: the one to Bottles of doing his best and the one to Kazooie about being honest.

Before he lost himself in constantly thinking about the name he was muttering ever so gently, a paw that was foreign to him rested on his shoulder. It wasn't until he looked up that he confirmed his suspicions, and that it was someone he didn't know: a rabbit that wasn't bad on the eyes and now sitting next to him on the park bench, at least sitting in the middle of that bench since Banjo took the edge.

"Sir?" she asked, "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine, thank you," Banjo remarked, "I just lost my friend who knows his way around and my phone is dead."

"That's anything but good," remarked the bunny as a fox who took the seat next to her, "Lucky for you, you ran into us."

"Do you know you're way around?" the bear inquired, realizing that there was no need to be modest, "I need to find my friend and get to the train station."

"I would sure hope we do," the fox, who gave himself away to be male, remarked as he whipped out his phone, "I know everybody, and not knowing your surroundings would be just rude to our fellow mammals."

"That's Nick Wilde," the bunny remarked, using her thumb to point to him before offering her paw in a genuine shake, "And I'm Judy Hopps: we're policemen in Zootopia."

"So it would be rude to not know your way around," Banjo remarked with an impressive shock as he accepted the paw-shake, "I'm Banjo of Spiral Mountain."

"What does your friend look like?"

"He's a mole - his name is Bottles."

"Bottles?" Nick pipped in, delight (and later pride) soon following in his tone, "I thought Spiral Mountain sounded familiar. I told you that I would know him."

As Nick was remarking on his potential victory, Judy and Banjo shared a look. From the look the bunny was giving the bear, she seemed to be used to this, and looked clearly amused by his antics. However, the trio soon turned their attention to Nick's phone, which had gone off during the search for the familiar contact. Nick, like them, were confused, as he wasn't expecting a call, but upon answering the phone, that confusion changed on the fox's face to one of flattery regarding who was on the other end.

"Hey, Po! What's up?"

A content look was on his face as he absorbed the call, but only in a little less than a minute did it change to something of a concerned look, similar to one that Judy had seen him wear during cases regarding of a deeply serious nature.

"Of course I'll help: who are you looking for?"

As Nick's full attention was focused on taking in information Judy herself could barely hear, another similar lapse of less than a minute occured before Nick began to occasionally glance over at Banjo, a hint of realization coming into his eyes before it took full measure on his face. For a minute, he was silent, but it took less time than ever before for Nick to get his voice back and answer Po.

"Hey... buddy... I think it's just sheer good luck, but I think the bear that the red bird is looking for is with us."

Now it was Banjo's turn to be surprised.

Red bird? Could it be...?

"Kazooie!? She's here!?"

Nick's ears caught Banjo's mixed stature, and could easily tell that the poor bear was doing what he could to hold his emotions, much less grab for Nick's phone and try to talk to Kazooie himself. It was hard to see it anywhere else except his bright blue eyes, and it was those same eyes that told Nick everything. Only a glance confirmed his suspicions and kept his composure as he turned his eyes back to the phone.

"Hey, Po - are you doing anything?...

Not at the moment? Great - Do you remember the fountain in front of the police station?...

Yeah, that fountain. Think we can keep the good luck going for these two and bring them there?"

Nick didn't see it, but Judy did see the wave of relief that fell upon the bear, and the tears of that same relief threatening to manifest themselves on the edge of his eyes. He was happy that he was going to see Kazooie again, but in the manner in which they came brought about a realization that just hit him.

Kazooie, for whatever reason, went through the trouble to see him. Yes, he would be irritated later about the fact that she had left Tooty alone in the house, but he had a feeling that whatever Kazooie needed to say was important, and wouldn't be surprised if Tooty agreed with the level of importance and even prompted her to some degree to go tonight.

"Yes, yes, I know Bottles," Nick remarked to whoever Po was on the other side, "If anything, he's probably on his way to the police station anyway, so it would beat two in one."

He almost couldn't believe it...

She was here...

"Kazooie..."

And he was going to see her...

"She's here..."

And something about that sealed the assurance that he would much rather be anywhere else but here without her, and that sort of feeling was like coming home.

"I'm going," Banjo thought to himself, "I'm going to see you... and that's the best thing that's ever happened to me on my first date."

And for the first time, he knew why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not normal for me to just be fully chessy, is it? I know, you're so used to some struggle or something like that coming from my fictions, but I'm okay with the cheesy-ness of it all. I think it being like this is a change of pace for me, so I suppose that's why I like it.
> 
> As this is a comment made during the making of this, and you're reading the complete set, I'm debating whether or not for the next chapter to be the last or the second last. You'll know by the time it's submitted.
> 
> Anyway, we now have our third couple, though not directly mentioned in this chapter, popularly known as WildeHopps: Nick Wilde x Judy Hopps. It's rare for me to find a pairing I like named by their last names, but I don't mind - I nonetheless like this dynamic couple. However, I must confess that this fiction doesn't center around them, just as how it didn't center around TiPo (Po x Tigress). Consider it a debut.
> 
> So a basic summary of what is going on since the time frame can be confusing.
> 
> While Banjo is waiting for his phone to charge in the park after losing sight of Bottles, he reminisces about the date. Judy and Nick see him and think he's in trouble. Banjo confesses the truth to his predicament and Nick recognizes the name Bottles and Spiral Mountain. It is during this attempt to reach someone who might know where he is that he receives a call from Po, whom coincidentally calls him at that exact time to ask for his help on finding the same bear they just ran into, upon the request of a red bird (being Kazooie). Seeing their good luck and not wanting it going to waste, Nick proposes to Po that they have the eager couple meet in front of the fountain. While he didn't expect Kazooie to be in Zootopia, Banjo's newfound love for her drowns out the potential anger he would have had towards her for leaving Tooty alone in the house.
> 
> On to the next chapter.


	6. Reunion

If he could relate it to anything, it was like going on a first date all over again.

His fur felt like it was standing on end, the beats that could be heard from his heart at a rather fast pace, but there was a warmth that accompanied the excitement at the thought of being able to see Kazooie again.

After all, why not? He now understood that his feelings for here were out of a new kind of love.

The only thing that seemed to ease his senses was the worry that Kazooie might reject him. Even if she did, there was one thing the stupid bear was certain of, and that was the fact that they had been friends far long than he had been in love with her, and he could count on Kazooie to work with him if this love he had for her turned out to be either a phase or painfully one-sided. However, Kazooie would hardly consider the thought of leaving Tooty alone unless it was important and supported by the younger bear in question, so he was able to calm down enough for that very important thing. After all, he was more than willing to put others concerns before his own - Kazooie's most of all.

It was in that newfound calmness that he let another memory overtake his mind as he sat in the back seat of the car belonging to Nick and Judy. This was sparked by the notice of how Nick was smoothly driving with one paw, and yet the other was locked with a corresponding paw that belonged to the female bunny. While they had not yet remarked on their relationship, Banjo concluded that they were a couple, for before Judy got into the car (which the door had been opened by Nick) they shared a brief, but gentle kiss. Out of all the couples that he had seen that night, he could only admit to himself that it must have been unusual in Zootopia for inter-species relationships to be so open, much less ones involving a predator and a prey.

However, it was the way that they carried themselves (like they had no other care in the world but that of each other) that seemed to encourage Banjo in a way. They were different, he could easily see that, but they were also the same. It was a lot like how he was starting to think of Kazooie when previous adventures started to play in his mind. He had a feeling that Bottles wouldn't be the only one that would be startled if they found out that he was romantically interested in someone so different than him. Banjo could never confess to it until now, but he liked people who weren't exactly like he was, and in a way, that's what threatened Hannah to become potentially boring to him.

In regards to previous adventures, as the lights of the city began to pass by his eyes, he was reminded of just when exactly he started to feel this way about Kazooie. It wasn't even that much at the time, but he did realize that a life without Kazooie made him think awfully hard about it when she had been kidnapped in a previous adventure. After the threat of her being erased from his memory through the means of an evil space-time continuum (through them never even meeting), that only made it worse. Perhaps it wasn't love, per say, at the time, but he knew one thing for certain - a hard slap of reality of just how important Kazooie was to him.

Things must have grown from there, and he guessed Kazooie didn't notice. Then again, how could she? He didn't even see it himself. Now that he knew, he wanted to tell her, even if it meant risking something very precious to him. However, he was ironically putting his faith into that, and just hoped Kazooie wouldn't be pissed with him for leaving the date, as he had a feeling Bottles would be.

"Hey, you okay back there?" Nick asked.

"Huh? Oh, yes, I'm okay," Banjo replied, turning back to the window, "Just... thinking..."

"Too much of that can be very dangerous you know," the fox warned, a smile forming on his face as he spoke, "Sometimes, you've just got to go on intuition. Trust me - I would know."

"Is that how you two got together?"

For a second, they looked at Banjo, then at each other, but Nick's smile turned to something far more serious as he explained further.

"Well, yes and no. Did you just get out of a date?"

"My first date."

"Ouch - how did it go?"

"Bad and great, actually. I realized I had feelings for someone I've been best friends with for a long time."

"I take it it's the bird?"

"Yeah, it's strange isn't it?"

"Not really - we're pretty weird ourselves, but how did you realize exactly that you like this chick?"

"I guess I just always felt this way after one of our adventures together. When you realize how important someone is to you, you don't really want to let them go do you?"

"No, I suppose not," Nick replied, looking over at a smiling Judy, which had been rooted in the touching words of the bear, their still interlocked paws tightening a bit.

As the car seemed to slow down a bit, Banjo looked around at his surroundings, realizing that they were at the police station, various people already at the water fountain not too far from it. It was within one of the parking spaces that the car finally stopped in, leaving Banjo all loss of composure, for he was the first to leave the car and head for the fountain he was certain that Nick had spoken of over the phone.

What felt like a few steps was actually a far lot more, requiring much more effort that Banjo was even aware of by the time he reached the fountain itself. Ironically, like a sweet twist of fate, upon reaching the fountain, on the other side came the very bird that had been occupying his thoughts most of the night. There, wearing the same expression of shock and relief he was right now, was Kazooie.

They were both teary-eyed, net neither were aware of the tears in their own eyes, for they were looking straight in the eyes of the other almost as if they were just starting to accept the fact that they were really there.

And why not? It was almost unbelievable.

It wasn't until after that reality sank in did the bear and bird even begin to try taking a step closer, closing the gap between them in a very slow pace until the desire to be closer overtook all reason.

"Banjo...?"

"...Kazooie."

Not too far from where the bird turned the corner, Po and Tigress had seen everything take place, and watched with a smile as Kazooie lost no time approaching the one they both now knew was her beloved crush, for Kazooie finally told them how she really felt about him during their trip to the promised point. As the certainty of their reunion was now inevitable, both looked at each other for the happiness of the potential couple, and smiled even more as they turned to look at them again. It was this intimacy that lead them to reach to the paw of their partner, the tiger and panda soon having interlocked paws (with Po's other paw on Tigress' shoulder for a half hug) as they watched Banjo and Kazooie run to each other and meet at the fountain in the middle.

Judy and Nick had caught up with Banjo the same time Po and Tigress did, watching him waste no more time reaching Kazooie and wrapped their arms around each other as they were the second couple to watch the birth of a new one. Nick had to use his free paw to wipe away a small tear as Banjo and Kazooie no longer had distance between them, closing the gap with a passionate hug. It was hard to hear from that distance, but Judy could lightly hear the sound of the pair muttering the name of the other just a little over the sound of the fountain.

From what could be seen, Banjo's tuxedo-clad arms were around the arms of the one that meant so dear to him. While one of the paws rested on her back, the other was behind her head, holding her like she was something precious. In fact, she was very precious to him, and felt the warmth surge through her chest as her wings had wrapped around him just a few seconds ago. While she had been swept off of her feet at the beginning of the hug, the tenderness Banjo had just for her in this moment almost made her heart skip a beat, and for a split second was worried that Banjo might have heard it, and would have become worried if she was alright for no really good reason at all.

However, no one needed superior hearing to hear what came next.

"K-Kazooie," Banjo sighed breathlessly, "Oh, Kazooie, I can't believe you're here."

"Trust me," Kazooie reassured in a disbelieving breath as they broke the hug, but not their hold on each other, "I'm having a hard time believing that I even went through with this."

"But, why didn't you stay with Tooty?" Banjo asked, thoroughly concerned.

"She partly talked me into this," Kazooie replied flatly, "Besides, she's probably asleep by now."

"...And... what exactly did she talk you into doing...?"

"...Banjo... I know I've been pretty much a jerk since you met me... but this is going to sound strange, even for you..."

For a second, she seemed to hesitate, but Banjo's concerning eyes and the promise she made to herself forced everything that would have held her back down. Only until after taking a breath did she return to speaking what's on her mind.

"...You can't go through with the date."

Something about telling him he shouldn't made her break, leading her look down at their interlocked arms from the fact they wouldn't let the other go. The other fact was that she had never told him to do something like this until today. She knew it was selfish, but she couldn't deny her feelings for him, and they seemed to muster in embarrassment on her beak.

Banjo saw all of this, and especially noted the blush, and started to realize that Kazooie was saying all of this for sentimental reasons. Still, to clear the air, he needed to know the kind of specific sentimentality that the bird was talking about. He couldn't help himself but be amused at the fact that Kazooie thought he was going through the date, and let a chuckle leave his lips, though being well aware of her ignorance on the current circumstances.

"What's so funny!?" Kazooie snapped, obviously hurt, "I know, I can be really selfish at times, and I'm sorry, but-"

"I'm the one who should be sorry, Kazooie," Banjo said genuinely as one paw reached for her blushing cheek so their eye contact could be restored, "But the truth is... I don't think I could have went through with it even if I wanted to."

"...Wait a minute, did she dump you!?"

"Kind of, yes, but she helped me realize something very important."

Now it was Kazooie who was in utter shock, so Banjo explained himself further, not moving his paw from her cheek as one finger brushed against the feathers that were very soft to the touch.

"What Bottles doesn't understand, and took me my first date to realize, was that I happen to like my situation. I like being in Spiral Mountain with my sister... and with you."

The bear now had his turn to blush, glancing away for a minute before looking back at Kazooie with a smile. He now had a better understanding of why Kazooie felt embarrassed, but he was also very happy, and let his happiness do all the talking.

"I don't mind the idea of making new friends, and coming to Zootopia on occasion to make a few, but I don't think I will be able to love anyone else as much as I love you."

The tears that had been lost before returned to the eyes of both the pairs. Kazooie, in disbelief, couldn't believe that she went through all of this just to find out that the one she intended to confess to loved her back, and a kind of smile Banjo rarely ever saw her wearing came across her beak.

"...And that's why I couldn't let you go through with it, you big oaf," Kazooie finally replied, "Because... I think I love you too, and... want to give, well, us, a chance..."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Banjo agreed with a sappy smile of his own as their foreheads touched each other, "I like the idea of us."

Gazing into teach others eyes for a second, they were about to exchanges a few words before something light and cold touched their noses. During their silent intimacy, the other two couples that had been watching them took notice of the white flakes that were falling from the sky. At first, like Banjo and Kazooie, they were baffled, but as more and more snow started to fall from the sky, they decided to not argue against nature and enjoy what made the moment far more romantic. It was one look in the eyes between the bear and the bird that confirmed this with each other: after all, they had been friends before they became lovers.

"Are you cold?" Banjo asked.

"Not if you keep cuddling like this," Kazooie replied, "I think I'll be just fine."

Sappy smiles formed on their faces as their foreheads touched once again, both closing their eyes once again as they were caught up in the physical touch they were receiving from the other. It was almost as if the world almost became irrelevant, yet it was those people in the world that helped them realize that they wanted to be here right now, in the arms of the other. They were going to have to thank the couples that were watching them right now later for going through the trouble of letting them clear the air and get together.

There were others that they were going to have to thank... that is, if they had known that they were involved in the first place. Who exactly were they? They weren't exactly individuals who wanted to be in Zootopia, yet were responsible for conjuring the snow cloud that was responsible for the snow that they had seen.

"Did Mumbo's cloud reach bear and bird?" the shaman inquired, looking over at the young female honey bear that had been able to observe the couple from a view conjured up by Humba Wumba.

"Yeah, I think it worked," she said as she wiped away a tear, beyond happy for her brother and his best friend, "I think they're going to be just fine."

And they were, and it all started that night.

Why? Because she had known from the beginning, and now the ones in question knew, that they much rather be there than anywhere else without them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After thinking about it, and being severally desperate to finish this, I made up my mind that this would be the last chapter. Sorry people, but unless someone wants to continue this story (ask my permission before you do), then that's it. I thought about doing one more chapter that was strictly Christmas themed, as it is December upon completion of this fiction. However, since I have other things to worry about, I also thought that maybe adding Christmas would make people feel limited to only wanting to read this during Christmas. So, I made up my mind and just added snow, even though it was just magical snow conjured up by Mumbo upon the request of Tooty, whom Banjo and Kazooie think is in bed.
> 
> Well, thanks for reading another fiction of mine. Have a nice day, and a Merry Christmas since it is December.
> 
> May God's love, grace, and mercy be with us all.


End file.
